Yankees vs. Pirates: Game 2, prediction, odds, injuries and picks

Yankees vs. Pirates: Game 2, prediction, odds, injuries and picks - April 5, MLB 2025

Modified Apr 05, 2025 10:42 GMT

MLB: APR 04 Yankees at Pirates - Source: Getty — Yankees star Aaron Judge bats against the Pittsburgh Pirates (Getty)

The New York Yankees are seeking to maintain their lead in the American League East as they face off against the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road for Game 2 of their three-game series. The Bombers comfortably took the first game with a score of 9-4.

As for the Pirates, they are trying to climb out of the bottom cellar of the NL Central with their 2-6 record, tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the division's worst. At the time of writing, the team has scored a divisional low of just 23 runs scored in eight games.

Yankees vs Brewers recent form and records

The Bronx-based team currently leads the AL East with a 5-2 record. The squad also leads all of the majors in run differential with +26 runs as they've smashed a total of 23 home runs through seven games. In the process, they broke the MLB record for the most team home runs scored through the first four games with 17.

Their opponents, the Pirates, have the second-lowest runs scored tally in the league so far, just above the struggling Colorado Rockies. The squad is stil trying to establish its footing as they hope to close the gap with other teams in their division.

Players to watch

Starting pitchers

NYY: Marcus Stroman, (0-0, 5.79 ERA) vs PIT: Bailey Falter (0-0, 3.00 ERA).

Must-watch Hitters

New York Yankees

Arguably the hottest slugger in the world right now, Yankees captain Aaron Judge has recorded six home runs and 17 RBIs through seven games this season. The 2024 American League MVP is currently batting .379/.455/1.103 with an OPS of 1.558.

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Yankees vs Pirates baseball betting odds

Saturday, 4/5	Money Line	Run Spread	Total Runs
NYY	-154	-1.5, -104	O 8.5, -155
PIT	+140	+1.5, -115	U 8.5, +123

Yankees vs Brewers expert picks and game prediction

The Bombers are one of the hottest teams in the MLB at the moment. In spite of their two losses, the 2024 World Series participant have looked like a powerhouse squad. Apart from Judge, the team can also rely on the services of Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe who each have four home runs to their names.

For the Pirates to have a chance, their sluggish bats will need to wake up, especially that of All-Star Bryan Reynolds, who has been batting a lowly .194 in 36 at-bats this year. It would take a small miracle for Pittsburgh to pull one from the Bombers given the latter's hot streak.

Run Line: -1.5, -104

Total Runs, O 8.5, -155

Prediction: NYY W, 8-1

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Nadim El Kak